"I know this was coming"- Andre Russell's deafening silence on West Indies coach's comments
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has chosen to remain silent against the claims made by chief selector Desmond Haynes and head coach Phil Simmons on his availability for the national team ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The Caribbean outfit are currently playing a T20I series against the Kiwis, which will be followed by the CPL. So the ongoing series was perhaps the last chance for the selectors to take a look at stars like Russell and Sunil Narine. But they are still unsure whether these players will be available for the showpiece event.
Expressing disappointment over the same, here's what Simmons was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo:
"It hurts. There's no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don't think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent West Indies, you will make yourself available. Life has changed, in that people have the opportunities to go different places and if they choose that over West Indies, that's just how it is."
However, this hasn't gone down well with Andre Russell. The all-rounder took to his Instagram account and posted a screenshot of the article on ESPNCricinfo and here's what he captioned it with:
“I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!!!”
This post perhaps speaks a lot about the off-field issues between the players and the cricket board. But that doesn't take anything away from the fact that they need players like Russell and Narine if they have to compete in the T20 World Cup.
West Indies have announced their squad for the ODI series against New Zealand
West Indies have announced their squad for the upcoming ODI series against England. Nicholas Pooran will lead the side.
WI ODI squad: Nicholas Pooran (C), Shai Hope (VC), Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie (subject to fitness), Keemo Paul, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair.